Washing-machine



H. C. HIRSCHY.

WASHING MACHlNE. APPLICATION FILED MAY ze. 1919.

1,336,781. Patented Api-.13,1920.

HERMAN C. HIRSCIIY, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

Application led May 26, 1919. Serial No. 289,946.

in my pending application filed May 18,l

1918, Serial No. 235,370.

A further object is to provide improved means for mounting a dolly in the tub and:

preventing the action of the water from drawing the clothes in under the middle portion of the dolly and around the upper portion of the deflector or guard.

A further object is to provide means for mounting the dolly which will allou7 the dolly arms to operate nearer the bottom of the tub than usual in washing machines as heretofore constructed.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a tub with my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the drive of the dolly from the top of the tub,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the dolly removed from the tub.

In the drawings, 2 represents a tub of ordinary construction. 3 is the dri-ve shaft for the dolly, shown in the figure as projecting up through the bottom of the tub, a. construction that is practicable where my guard is employed. and, generally speaking, it is better construction to have the drive shaft project up through the bottom of the tub, as then the top of the tub is clear of all mechanism, the interior is readily accessible and there is less danger of oil or grease working into the tub and coming in contact with the clothes. On account of the difficulty experienced with the clothes winding on the shaft where my improved guard has not been used, this bottom drive arrangement is not generally employed.

In the preferred construction of this mechanism, 4 is a flange seated on the bottom of the tub on the inside and provided with a hub 5 which depends through a central opening in the tub bottom and a washer 6 is mounted on the lower end of this hub, below the tub bottom, and is vsecured to the flange 4 by means of bolts 7, which pass through the washer and flange and through the tub bottom and clamp the parts firmly together. A sleeve 8 forms an upward continuation of the hub 5.' A sleeve 9 is fitted on the upper end of the shaft 3 and secured thereto and is preferably square in cross section to receive a correspondingly-shaped cap 10 that is placed on the end of the shaft and encircles the upper portion of the sleeve 8 and preferably has an annular flange 11 at its lower end. The shaft, the sleeve 9 and the cap 10 rotate freely to impart the desired oscillating movement to the dolly.

12 represents the dolly, of any suitable or preferred construction, having preferably a comparatively large opening 13 therethrough. This opening is bridged by a bar 14 thatvis secured at its ends to the dolly and overhangs'the middle portion of the opening 13, and is provided with a central opening and a hub 15, polygonal in cross section, fitting the cap 10, the lower end of the hub being seated on the flange 11 and thereby the dolly is 'supported for oscillation.

For the purpose of directing the clothes away from the center of the tub and the operating shaft and into the path of the dolly arms, I provide a guard or dcflector 16 made of any suitable material, having a rbase or spider 17 at its lower end that is provided with a hub 18 which encircles the lower portion of the sleeve 8. The lower end of the guard normally rests upon the bottom of the tub and the guard may be removed when the dolly and its supporting cap are separated from the shaft. The upper portion of the guard projects through the central opening in the dolly and allows the dolly to be supported at a pbint nearer the bottom of the tub than usual in devices of this kind, thereby agitation of the clothes in the lower portion of the tub is insured.

I have found that this arrangement of the guard and dolly has a tendency to work the clothes downwardly and outwardly instead of causing them to collect under the dolly and work in between it and the walls of the guard. Whether this is due to the free circulation of the water through the opening in the dolly or to the position of the guard walls with respect to the dolly, I am unable at this time to definitely determine, but Ik have clearly demonstrated through several months of actual use of the machine that this central opening in the,

dolly and the extension of the guard up through the opening prevents any tendency of the clothes to work into the opening in the dolly or vgather around the upper portion of the guard.

I have found that during the operation of the .dolly the clothes willremain below the ring 12 and will be thrown back and forth by the movement of the arms while the flaring walls of the guard will tend to work the clothesy away from the center of the tub and into the path of the agitating arms. The result will not only be a more thorough, complete washing of the clothes through the continuous engagement of the dolly arms therewith, but there will also be a free flow of the water up around the guard through the opening in)the dolly which will prevent the accumulation of clothes at this point and the clogging of the mechanism. A

The dolly is preferably so mounted that its bridge will be supported near the top of the guard, but out of contact therewith. The upper portion of the guard has a fiared `end 19 near which the bridge 14 is supported.

In Fig. 2 I' have shown a modified con struction, which consists in providing a drive shaft 20 depending through the top of the tub and mounting a sleeve 21, square in cross section, thereon having a flange 22 to support the correspondingly shaped hub 15 of the dolly bridge. The guard is substantially the same as described, indicated by the samel reference numeral and has a hub 18 into which the lower end of the drive shaft 20 is inserted. I do not wish to be confined to the particular manner of mounting the dolly on the shaft, as this construction is capable of various modifications.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination, with a washing machine tub and its dolly, of a guard interposed between the bottom of the tub and dolly and having walls for directing the clothes outwardly toward the walls of the tub, said dolly having an opening therein into which the upper end of the guard projects, said opening permitting freedom of circulation of the water between the dolly and said clothes guard.

2. The combination, with a washing machine tub, of adolly having a central opening therein and a bridge for said opening, and a drive shaft provided with a support for said bridge and dolly, and a Vvclothes guard having downwardly flaring walls interposed between the dolly and the bottom of the tub. l

3. The combination, with a washing ma- '.chine tub, of a dolly having an opening therein, a bridge secured to said dolly and extending across said opening and having a hub formed thereon, a drive shaft having a seat for said hub and a clothes guard in- -terposed between the dolly and the bottom for deflecting the clothes into the path of said arms.

4. The combination, with a washing machine tub and a drive shaft projecting upwardly through the bottom thereof, a rectangular cap mounted on the upper end of said drive shaft within said tub, 'a dolly having a correspondingly shaped hub fitting said cap for oscillation therewith, an opening being provided through said dolly around said hub to allow the free circulation of the water therethrough.

5. The combination, with a washing machine and a shaft projecting upwardly through the bottom thereof, a cap, rectangular in form, fitting the upper end of said shaft, a dolly having a comparatively large central opening, a bridge for said opening secured to said dolly and provided with a hub within said opening, said cap having a seat for said hub for oscillation of the dolly with said shaft, a space being provided between said hub and the walls of said opening.

6. The combination, with a washing machine tub and its dolly provided with an opening therethrough and an operating shaft for said dolly projecting into said opening and a clothes guard encircling said shaft between said dolly and the bottom of the tub and having walls which deflect the clothes outwardly from said shaft into the path of the dolly, the opening in said dolly allowing the insertion of the upper end of the guard therein.

7. The combination, with a washing machine tub and a dolly drive'shaft mounted therein, of a dolly having a comparatively large opening therethrough and depending arms around said opening and a bridge over said opening having a hub that is mounted on said shaft, a clothes guard having its upper portion projecting through said opening and encircling said hub and having lower walls below said dolly for deiiecting the clothes outwardly into the path of said arms. i

8. The combination, with a washing machine tub and a dolly drive shaft mounted therein and a dolly having a comparatively large opening end mounted en seid drive shaft, of e clothes guard loosely seated in said tub and having its upper end projecting through the dolly opening and encircling the bearing therefor on said shaft, the lower portion of said guerd flaring downwardly and outwardly and delecting the clothes -trom the center of the tub.

9. A dolly end e clothes guard for a weshing machine, comprising e. dolly having depending arms and formed with a central opening, a bridge attached to the dolly and supporting e. hub depending through said opening., said huh being formed for connection with un operating shaft, and e clothes guard formed to encircle said shaft and lieving downwardly and outwardly daring wells, the upper portion of the guard arranged to extend through the central opening of the dolly around the depending hub of the dolly.

ln Witness whereof l neve hereunto set my hand this 17th dey of May, 1919.

HERMAN c. HIRSCHY.

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